Clothesline



W. .0. ALTMAN. CLOTHESLINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT,I3,1920.

l A%?, O5 1 Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

INVENTOR VVITNFS WILLIAM o. ALTMAN, or wns'rtrnn, iennnsrnvanm.

CLOTHESLINE.

iaaaosi.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1922,

Application filed September 13, 1920. Serial No. 409,769.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM O. ALTMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at West-line, in the county of McKean and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clotheslines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clothes lines and mountings therefor, and has for its object the provision of a clothes line including separate lines wound upon a Windlass structure and both of these lines. being connected by a cross member which has in turn connected therewith a coupling or cord likewise wound upon the windlass structure but in the opposite direction so that when the windlass is operated in one direction its cord will pull the pair of lines toward the securing member at the opposite side from the Windlass.

An additional object is the provision of a device of this character which will be simple and inexpensive in manufacture, highly efficient and labor saving in use, durable in service, and a general improvement in the art. With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of my device, Figure 2 is a face view of a supporting member carrying the Windlass structure and, Figure 3 is a detail side elevation of the windlass supporting frame.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a post or other support upon which is secured a bracket 11 having journaled therein a grooved pulley 12. This post may be secured at one side of a yard or upon the wall at one side of a court or the like. The numeral 13 designates a second post or other support which might be located at the opposite side of a yard or court, of course in spaced relation to the first named post, and secured upon this second post is a bracket let within which is journaled a grooved pulley 13.

Carried by this second post is a bracket 16 including spaced arms 17 upon which are mounted bearings 18 for a shaft 19 of a Windlass structure including a central drum 20 and spaced drums 21 arranged at the sides thereof. This Windlass structure carrles a handle 22.

Secured to and wound upon the spaced drums 21 are lines 23 which may be of hemp, cotton. cord, galvanized cable, or the like. These lines are connected at their free end-s by a bridle 2 1 to which is connected one end of a flexible cord or cable 25 which is trained over the pulley 12 on the post 10, over the pulley 15 on the post 13, and is then secured to the drum 20 and wound thereon in a direction opposite to the winding of the lines 23. Interposed in the cable 25 is a coil spring 26 which is for the purpose of taking sag out of the line at all times.

The operation of the device is as follows:

In the initial position of the device the lines 23 are wound upon the drums 21 and the line or cable 25 is unwound from the central drum 20. When use of the device is desired the Windlass is rotated in the proper direction so that the cable 25 is wound onto the drum 20 which will result in unwinding the lines 23 from the drums 21 whereupon both the lines 23 will be drawn across the space between the posts or other supports 10 and 13. It is readily apparent that clothes may be hung onto the lines 23 as they are fed from their drums so that if desired the lines may be filled from one side of a court or from an open window or the like.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawings it is apparent that I have thus provided a simply constructed and easily operated device for the purpose specified which will be eflicient and labor saving and which will perform all the functions for which it is intended.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is of course to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, construction, and arrangement of parts as will not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

'Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a clothes line supporting device, a winding drum structure comprising a U- shaped bracket adapted to be secured upon the face of a vertical support and formed With attaching lugs, said bracket including laterallyspaced horizontally extending arms carryingbearings, a shaft journally supported by said bearings in horizontal position and projecting beyond both ends of the frame, a drum on said shaft between said arms, drums secured upon the ends of said shaft outwardly of said arms, and a handle i on one of said last named drums; all of said drums being of the same diameter and all 10 being provided With retaining flanges.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM o. ALT'MAN. 

